healthy eating Archives

With my computer transition behind me, I can finally focus on other things. It’s incredible how preoccupied I can be when things like a new computer, the holidays and my girls’ basketball schedules consume my attention. Over the past two months a lot of things fell by the wayside; most noticeably – diet and exercise.

Diet – The Whole30

As far as eating and drinking go, I really went all out during the holiday season. While I enjoyed every minute of fun and frolic, it’s time to dial it back. Just after the first of the year, I joined a group of friends to tackle the Whole30. If you’ve not heard, the Whole30 is a nutritional program designed to get you on a healthy track by eating clean foods for 30 days. No sugar, no alcohol, no grain, no dairy and no legumes.

I actually just started getting serious about it this week. Seeing I have felt constantly full for at least a month, it is actually nice to remember what a pang of hunger feels like.

Typically, diets like this (oops, I should say “programs or lifestyles”) are not my thing. But, let’s face it, any lifestyle that doesn’t involve bread, cheese, martinis and the occasional glass of wine is not one I can sustain.

Also, the idea that elimination diets like the Whole30 or Dukan, Atkins or Paleo, often result in the participant gaining weight back when normal eating resumes, seems pointless. But sometimes, it’s more about cleansing than losing weight.

So, I’m approaching the Whole30 from the perspective that a protein and veggie diet is a good thing. Fruits are also OK on the Whole30, which makes it even more appealing.

After the pure gluttony of the holidays (I ate so much bread it was insane), it is now time to detox, deflate and push the button for a hard reset. We are what we eat, after all.

Exercise – 30 Minutes

Now, onto the Plus 30 part of this post. I have decided that instead of wasting two or more hours of my day running back and forth to the gym, I am going to commit to just 30 minutes a day on one of the three pieces of cardio equipment I have at home. I will eventually get bored with this, but if the past month of no gym time at all is any indication; it’s this or nothing.

30 minutes is better than no minutes at all!

My attempt at healthier living this January is not a resolution, just something I want to do to feel better and get some energy back.

But I won’t lie, I’m going to miss my 3 Olives & a Twist martini. Let’s see if I can hold out.

Are you doing anything new to undo holiday damage?

ingredients for stir-fry swordfish recipe and avocado mango salsa

Before summer comes to an official close, I thought I’d share one of my favorite summer recipes. Typically prepared on the grill, I have brought this version inside to cook up on my new stir-fry pan, which I’m obsessed with by the way (thank you Mom).

With a few minor adaptations, this May to September swordfish recipe is something I’d be happy to whip up when the weather is cooler, but I’m still in the mood for something light and refreshing.

Summer, winter, spring or fall; this swordfish recipe with mango avocado salsa is super easy and really tasty. Guests love it and it always makes a great impression when served.

When I’ve prepared this on the grill, I marinate the fish in oil, lime, juice, salt, pepper and even a splash of tequila. However, in the stir-fry pan I prefer to keep the fish dry so it can brown nicely – so just salt and pepper for today’s version.

The Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound swordfish, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large avocado, cubed
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 cup mango (in summer I use fresh, but this time I used precut, frozen and it was delish)
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley (original recipe calls for cilantro – I had parsley in)
Juice of 1 lime, more if you like
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of red pepper flake for a kick

Directions

First prepare the salsa by combining the avocado, mango, onion, parsley, lime, salt, pepper and pepper flake in a bowl. Mix gently so not to break the mango or avocado. The frozen mango held up so beautifully, I may actually prefer it.

mango avocado salsa for swordfish recipe — The salsa!

Heat stir-fry pan on stove top and lightly oil. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and pepper and toss in the pan. It cooks through and browns so quickly, you’re done before you know it!